Dakota ZX6-DL Corrosion Thickness Gauge

Overview

The Dakota ZX6-DL is a multi-echo, through-paint ultrasonic thickness gauge with onboard data logging, designed specifically for measuring base-metal wall thickness without removing protective coatings first. It is used by inspection contractors, maintenance teams, and asset owners across Oman and the GCC who need reliable thickness readings on coated pipework, tanks, and structural steel without the time and cost of coating removal.

The ZX6-DL builds on the ZX5-DL’s data-logging platform but adds an Echo-Echo measurement mode, making it the choice within the Dakota ZX family specifically for painted or coated assets rather than bare metal.

Operating Principle

In standard pulse-echo mode, the ZX6-DL measures like other ZX-series gauges, timing the return of a sound pulse from the back wall. Its key differentiator is Echo-Echo (E-E) mode, which measures the interval between two successive back-wall echoes rather than from the front surface — this makes the reading independent of the coating layer, so the gauge reports true base-metal thickness while the coating (0.001 to 0.075 inches) is effectively ignored. The instrument uses a 120 MHz FPGA timing circuit with automatic V-path and dual-path error correction to maintain accuracy across both measurement modes.

Engineering Design of the Dakota ZX6-DL

The ZX6-DL covers a pulse-echo measurement range of 0.025 to 36 inches (0.63 to 914.4 mm) at 0.001 inch (0.01 mm) resolution, and in Echo-Echo mode measures base metal from 0.1 to 6 inches through coatings from 0.001 to 0.075 inches thick. Like the ZX5-DL, it includes onboard data logging with capacity for 10,000 sequential readings organized into 40 files of 250, downloadable via USB. Its dual-element transducer (1 to 10 MHz) pairs with a multi-function 4.5-digit, 7-segment LCD refreshing at 10 Hz, giving a smooth, responsive readout whether scanning bare or coated surfaces.

Key Features

• Echo-Echo (E-E) through-paint measurement mode — no coating removal required
• Pulse-echo range 0.025-36 in (0.63-914.4 mm); Echo-Echo base metal 0.1-6 in through 0.001-0.075 in coating
• Resolution 0.001 in (0.01 mm)
• Onboard data logging: 10,000 readings (40 files × 250), USB download
• Dual-element transducer, 1-10 MHz
• 120 MHz FPGA timing with automatic V-path/dual-path error correction
• Multi-function 4.5-digit LCD, 10 Hz refresh rate

Industrial Applications

Across Muscat, Sohar, and Salalah, the ZX6-DL is used for corrosion-under-coating surveys on painted pipework, tank shells, and structural steel in refineries, petrochemical plants, and marine facilities — environments where coatings are applied for corrosion protection and removing them for every inspection point is impractical. The through-paint capability significantly reduces inspection downtime and avoids damaging protective coating systems during routine wall-thickness surveys.

The gauge is also well suited to shipyard and offshore structure inspection, where hull and structural coatings are standard, and to plant turnaround inspections where large numbers of coated measurement points must be surveyed quickly without a coating-removal step.

Technical Specifications

Request a Quote for Dakota ZX6-DL Corrosion Thickness Gauge

Seven Star LLC supplies the Dakota ZX6-DL through-paint ultrasonic thickness gauge as an authorized channel partner to inspection teams and industrial facilities across Oman and the GCC. Contact our engineering team for a formal quotation and guidance on Echo-Echo setup for coated-asset inspection programs.